Slurred Secrets: Remake
by Yogogirl13
Summary: Being caught in the rain can be harmful for a firebender but in Zuko's case, it's more fatal. Takes place after FBM and continues afterwards. Pairings are yet to be determined. Critiques are welcomed.


_**Disclaimer:**_

**Toph: Alright, let's cut to the chase.**

**Me: I own _nada_, nothing, zip, squat-**

**Katara: I think they get it...**

**Me: Shut up Katara, no one likes you.**

**-Katara bawls, making me groan-**

**Me: Btw, there's gonna be a crap load of quotes from the Boiling Rock and onward, so...yeah. (^_^)**

**Me: Enjoy  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The weather was a bit chilly at the Western Air Temple. It had been raining over the week, forcing the Avatar and his Firebending teacher to train under the roof.<p>

"You have to make your arms flow like this," The Avatar's firebending teacher, Zuko, instructed. He moved his arms slowly, a small whip of fire following. Aang, the Avatar, nodded eagerly and slowly started to follow in unison, both controlling the same whip.

"Like this, Sifu Hotman?" Aang questioned, mischievousness hanging at the edge of his voice. Zuko's right eye twitched slightly but a small smile wavered over.

Zuko's onyx black hair waved against the storm, wavering over the red scar on the left side of his face. Zuko was known as the 'traitor prince' in the Fire Nation. Aang stared at his teacher's scar, his arms losing sync with Zuko's.

"Aang, you're going to get burned if you don't pay attention," Zuko scolded gently, his golden eyes never wavering from the small whip of fire and the small smile never leaving. Aang sighed but nonetheless, listened to his teacher.

"If the weather is this awful, why do we still have to practice?" Aang whined, gaining a stern look from the older teen. Zuko opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by an icy cold voice.

"Yeah, Zuko, why do you have to work Aang to the bone in this weather?"

A girl who looked no younger than fifteen was dressed in a blue training outfit. Her dark brown hair waved in the wind and her deep, blue eyes glared coldly at Zuko.

"I'm not working him to the bone, Katara. Just because there's a little rain, doesn't mean Firebending practice ends for the day. Unless you want both of us to get sick in the rain and possibly weaken Aang's firebending, I will happily oblige," Zuko replied, small annoyance but a weary tone hanged off of his voice.

Katara glared at him and said in a smug tone, "If it's just a little rain, then you wouldn't have a problem with hunting dinner, would ya?"

Zuko wearily stared at her, sighing sadly and shaking his head.

"You know what, fine. I'll go hunt for dinner, even though there's plenty of rice and fruit near the Temples, but apparently, it doesn't matter when it's with me."

And with that, Zuko quietly left, getting soaked in no less than two seconds in the terrible storm. Katara and Aang shared a look; Aang's was disappointed and Katara's was bitter.

"Come in, Aang. You'll catch a cold," Katara said, trying to smile at him. Aang did not return the smile, shortly leaving Katara in a confused daze. She wistfully stared out into the storm, her gaze beginning to harden.

'_He'll be fine, he was only lying to keep Aang away from you_,' a part of Katara said in her mind. This voice was the loudest when dealing with a subject about Zuko. This was the side she believed in since the day of the Green Caves.

'_Why would he even joke about it? There would be nothing to gain if he lied like that_,' the other part of Katara said softly. This voice was quiet compared to the other. This was the side that she used to believe until her grudge had warped her into a…different person.

Katara slowly looked away from the pounding of the storm, convincing herself that the prince that betrayed her was lying once again.

She then left, planning to make rice for Dinner.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Zuko's P.O.V<em>**

My breathing is haggard but nonetheless, I keep moving forward. My hands are now cut and full of wet dirt as I climb the steep hill. The rain soaks my whole body, leaving me into a shivering mess. I pause shortly, reaching my destination.

On my stomach, I take in the scenery of the orchard of fruit trees in front of me. Some of the trees had grown tall while others are mere blades of damp grass, blowing hard against the storm.

My vision is a bit foggy and my body is exhausted. I try to stand, resting on my knees for a short moment. I finally stood, stumbling only once...only to shortly fall down on my back. Mud is splattered all over my back and my head is pounding in dull pain. I groan softly, feeling the cold rain pelting me harder. I try to release a breath of fire, only to shortly earn nothing but puffs of smoke.

'I thought I had gotten my firebending back...' I thought, trying to sit up. Suddenly, I began to cough out puffs of smoke, my chest aching slightly. My throat is sore, my vision is dim, and I'm still exhausted; I'm obviously ill now.

"I'm sure it's just a small cold," I said to myself, my voice sounding rough and dry to my ears.

I start to rise once more, successfully standing on my own two feet. I begin to slowly walk towards the orchard trees, noting that most of them are Moon peaches and a bright red fruit, known as Phoenix Strawberries, very few are Dragon Cherries, some are Apples and others are Mangoes and Oranges. I reached forward to a Phoenix Strawberry that is barely hanging by it's stem and pull it softly. I bring it up to my mouth and start to nibble on it.

It's sweet, red juice spreads in my mouth, making my taste-buds tingle slightly. They seemed fine; fine enough to serve the group. I pulled off the second layer of my shirt and tied it around my torso, making a sling. Slowly, I begin to pick plenty of the fruit, not caring that the cold raindrops slid down my neck.

A few minutes later, I examine my sling, hoping that this should be enough for everyone. The rain is coming down harder and I can feel the mud slither off of my back and my downtrodden hair.

I then start to walk back towards the Temple, ignoring the throbbing in my head and the small ache in my chest.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Normal P.O.V<em>**

"Dinner's ready!" Katara's voice rang out through the courtyard, gathering the attention of the group. They all hurriedly formed a line, eager to eat dinner. The gray pot that sat in front of her was filled with rice, vegetables, and dumplings as a side dish. About half of the line was served when loud, wet footsteps could barely be heard over the ongoing storm. Coming out of the shadows, Zuko staggered in with his entire frame soaked. His naturally pale face seemed ghostly pale and in his arms was a sling full of fruit.

"Wow! That's a lot of fruit there, Jerkbender," Sokka said in an amused tone, his mouth full of rice. Sitting beside him, Aang rolled his eyes and stood up, walking towards the fruit.

"STOP!" Aang froze at the shrilled sound of Katara's stern voice. Toph sighed, exasperated with the Waterbender's unnecessary attitude.

"What is it this time, Katara? Did Sparkles stomp on a moose-kitten or did he eat a live baby?" She stomped towards the sling and dug in furiously. She pulled out a Phoenix Strawberry and took a large bite into it.

"I don't _see _what the problem is Katara", this gained a laugh from Sokka. "I don't know why you keep-wow, this stuff tastes good!" Toph cut herself off in an amazed tone and she took another bite, instantly finishing the whole red fruit.

"Let me try some of that!" Sokka shouted eagerly from his seat, setting down his bowl of rice and the dumplings laid forgotten. Everyone else gave shouts of enthusiasm, rushing towards the sling full of fruit...Well, _almost _everyone.

Katara sat on her knees with her arms crossed and her face covered in an irritated look.

'_How could everyone trust him like that? Do they not remember all of the bad things he's done in the past?_' Katara thought begrudgingly, glaring at the soaked Fire Prince. '_He probably had the fruit poisoned or something._'

She watched as everyone happily chewed on their fruit and how Toph smacked Sokka straight in the face for trying to grab for her Moon Peach. A ghostly smile had spread slightly over Zuko's deathly pale face. It fell shortly however, feeling the Waterbender's fierce glare burning holes through his head.

"Oh, I remember these; they're called 'Angel Tears' in the Earth Kingdom. It's said because the juice was so sweet that it could make an angel cry," Haru said, taking a bite of the Phoenix Strawberry.

Zuko nodded in agreement, finally setting the sling down. Everyone paused from eating and watched as the Fire Prince reached down and pulled out a Phoenix Strawberry. He nibbled on it, making red juice squirt out and dribble from his mouth. Everyone laughed while Katara gave a seemingly dark chuckle.

"You look like a clown," Katara commented, chuckling once more. Everyone stopped to catch their breath but froze at Katara's dark laughter. She kept on laughing for a few moments but stopped as soon as she felt the stares. She stared at the Fire Prince, who wore a small frown that still held the dripping red juice.

"These are called Phoenix Strawberries in the Fire Nation. They're mostly used for Festival occasions, maybe for a romantic dinner, or just for dessert," Zuko said slowly, completely ignoring Katara's comment. He took another bite, finishing the fruit in seconds. He tried to wipe his mouth with his shirt sleeve, which was still sopping wet.

"Here, let me get that for you," Aang said, waving an air blast towards his Firebending teacher. Zuko had frozen, his mouth still red and his hair comically stood out in many places, making it completely disheveled. Everyone snickered quietly, including Katara.

'_Now he really looks like a clown._' Katara thought with dark humor. Zuko quickly started to wipe off his mouth with his now dry sleeve, successfully hiding a soft cough from everyone, including Toph.

"How many kinds of fruit did ya bring, Sparkles?" Toph asked, taking another bite of her moon peach. Zuko sat down and faced Toph as he dragged the sling towards him. He started to take out various fruit.

"I've brought Oranges, a few Mangoes, some Apples, Phoenix Strawberries, and Dragon Cherries," He replied, reaching towards a Dragon Cherry. He chewed and swallowed in only one bite.

Katara's ears perked up when he said 'Mangoes', but made sure not to make herself look eager. She stood up and started to walk towards the small group, ignoring everyone's shocked gaze following her.

"So where did you get the fruit? Did you rob a booth or did you steal it?" Katara questioned in a bitter tone, placing her hands on her hips. Everyone but Zuko sighed in exasperation and shook their heads in disappointment. Zuko shook his head, staring at his knees and avoiding to meet Katara's glare.

"The temple is near an orchard that I had seen a few days ago," Zuko answered in a quiet voice, almost too soft to hear. He grabbed a mango and tossed it towards Katara, who caught it with a slight stumble. She glared at him and threw it at the ground near his feet.

"What makes you think that I even want to eat the food you brought?" She growled, earning a frown from the ex-prince.

"You're the one who sent me out to get some food," He remarked, grimacing at the splattered fruit on the ground only inches away from his feet. Katara merely scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Well, as you can see, dinner is already made so we don't need the fruit," Katara grumbled and walked away, showing that the conversation has ended. She knelt down by the pot that was now filled with cold food, waiting for the group to drop the fruit and ignore the fire prince. They didn't, instead they stood frozen with disappointed looks on their faces.

"...I'm heading in early," Zuko broke the silence with a solemn tone, starting to stand up.

"But what about dinner?" Toph asked, standing up as well. She had frown on her face and her half-finished Moon Peach laid forgotten on the ground.

"I'm not hungry," was all Zuko said before he left, leaving the blind girl confused and the others completely silent. Toph grabbed a bowl and quickly scooped the cold rice and vegetables from the gray pot that laid in front of the stunned Waterbender. She grabbed a couple of dumplings and flung them into the bowl.

"C'mon Snoozles, I know you want to talk to him too," Toph murmured to Sokka, who stood up and started to lead the blind girl out of the room.

As they left, they stopped and diverted their disappointed gaze at the Waterbender, who avoided their stare guiltily.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Zuko's P.O.V<strong>_

"Hey, Sparkles, you awake?" was the first thing I heard after I heavily plopped down onto the dirty mattress that I call a bed. I stayed silent, hoping that the blind girl would leave me alone for a short moment.

"C'mon, I brought some food up. I knew you were lying back there, Sparkles," Toph said after a short silence. My stomach grumbled at the sudden mention of food and decided anyways.

"Come in," I sighed, my voice sounding dry to my ears once more. Toph entered my room with...Sokka, was it? Yeah, that was it. In Toph's hands was a bowl of rice with vegetables and dumplings. I sat up as she stepped forward even closer, leaving Sokka at the door looking a bit...uncomfortable? No, more like impatient somewhat.

"Toph, I don't mean to sound rude or anything but I need to speak to Zuko," Sokka said as Toph handed me the bowl.

"No need to tell me twice. Have a nice man-to-man talk," Toph joked, starting to leave the room but stopped shortly only to punch Sokka on the shoulder. Then she was gone, leaving the Water Tribe boy and I alone...

"So, what was it that you needed?" I asked, breaking the steady silence that took place. Sokka straightened his composure like if he was calm but I could tell that he was straining too much.

"If someone was captured by the Fire Nation, where would they be taken?" he asked, looking at anything but me. My eyes widened.

"What do you mean? Who was captured?" I asked, as silence stretched out.

"...My Dad. He was captured after the invasion plan failed and...I just want to know what I put him through," He answered uneasily, fumbling with his gloves. I stayed silent, a bit cautious; if I told him, he'll pull something stupid.

"I can't tell you," I broke the silence, refusing to look at the shocked eyes of the Water Tribe boy.

"What? Why not?"

"It's not good, Sokka," I replied steadily, staring down at the untouched food in my bowl.

"Please Zuko! If it was your Dad, would you ha-," he started to say but caught himself before causing anymore damage. I knew what he was going to say; '_would you have saved him?_' I fumed silently but quickly kept my composure calm. Sokka had a shocked look on his face and was now peering at me, probably waiting for a heated response. Instead all he got was,

"He was probably taken to the Boiling Rock, the highest security prison in the Fire Nation. It's on an island in the middle of a boiling lake." He nodded shakily, guiltily staring at his boots.

"Where is this place?" he asked, becoming serious.

I gave a weary sigh. "It's in the middle of a volcano between here and the Fire Nation. You guys actually flew right past it on your way here."

He looked a bit lighthearted for second before looking serious once more; he was trying to hide his reaction from me.

"Thanks, Zuko," he gave a big yawn," just knowing makes me feel better."

I rolled my eyes and gave a big sigh. "Yeah, I'm sure it does."

Sokka then began to leave but paused as if he barely remembered something. "Hey, Zuko?"

"Hn?" I hummed in response, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked, sounding concerned. I did a silent double take; Why would he suddenly care?

"Er-Yeah, I feel fine. Why?" I asked, fidgeting slightly. He shrugged, putting his hands to his hips.

"You don't look so good; you're paler than usual and you look like you'll drop dead any second."

Huh. I might feel like it but do I actually _look_ like it?

"I'm fine, Sokka. I'm just a bit tired," I lied. Ow! What is that? I felt something hit me...Is that a rock?

Suddenly, sharp knocks pounded on the door.

"Hey, Snoozles, is your little man talk over yet? I need to speak to Sparkles," Toph's voice thundered through the door, strangely making me shiver...or was that just me?

"Yeah, I'm finished," Sokka answered, opening the door for the blind girl. "Try not to kill him, we need him."

"Nah, I'll get back at him later. I just need to have a little..._talk _with him."

Yup...I'm going to die.

After the Water Tribe boy left, Toph shut the door and punched me in the shoulder..._hard_.

"I can tell when you're lying from a distance," Toph said as I rubbed my shoulder.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

_Punch_

"Ow!"

"If you don't like it then stop lying, Sparkles."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"I just feel a bit crappy. It's probably from being out in the rain too long," I said and watched as Toph sat on to the bed next to me.

"It's not just that, is it?"

"...I don't care what she thinks about me. If she wants me gone, then I'll wait for her to say it. I'll happily go."

"You're lying again, Sparkles. You _do _care what she thinks. What everyone thinks, really. We're not gonna bite...well Katara might but...who cares, eh?" She grinned childishly, resembling an ape. I chuckled a bit before coughing into my fist politely.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it's a slight cough."

_Punch_

"What the hell was that for?"

"You're not sparing the details, Sparklebutt."

* * *

><p><strong><em>3rd Person's P.O.V<em>**

All was still that night at the Western Air Temple. Everyone(except for the Fire Prince) was sleeping peacefully in the courtyard of the Temple. The rain had stopped it's dreadful downpour and the skies were clear, showing nothing but the endless stars surrounding the big ball of light in the-

"Not up to anything, huh?"

A yelp followed by a crash sounded out, surprisingly not waking anyone up in the process. On the floor was the Water Tribe boy with a sack that spilled out many supplies-supplies that looked like they were needed for a trip-and on top of the saddle on the big Air Bison was the very Fire Prince himself.

"Fine, you caught me. I'm gonna rescue my Dad," Sokka started to gather back the supplies in his sack. "You happy now?"

"I'm never happy," Zuko replied in a "matter-of-fact" tone.

Still gathering his things, the Water Tribe boy said, "Look, I have to do this. The invasion plan was _my_ idea. It was _my_ decision to stay when things were going wrong. It's my mistake and it's my job to fix it." Zuko jumped off of the saddle as Sokka stood in front of him with a look of fierce determination. "I have to regain my honor. You can't stop me, Zuko."

With that, Sokka moved the other teen with a stretch of his arm and started to climb up onto the saddle. Zuko sighed, looking very worn out.

"You need to regain your honor. Believe me, I get it. I'm going with you," he said, setting his own tone of determination.

"No, I have to do this alone," Sokka firmly said, sounding a bit stubborn. Zuko rolled his eyes at the teen and shook his head.

"How are you going to get there ? On Appa?"disbelief wrapped around his voice. "Last time I checked, prisons don't have bison day cares."

Sokka's hand grabbed at the saddle before he sighed and reluctantly looked at the Fire Prince.

"We'll take my war balloon," Zuko said as Sokka jumped off of the saddle.

"We need to leave a note or something," Sokka said.

"What are we gonna put, 'Gone to rescue war prisoners, will be back by bed time' ?"

"No! Something simple!"

Sokka opened his sack and took out a rough sheet of paper.

"Got any ink?"

"Yeah, cause I carry a bottle of ink and a paintbrush around wherever I go."

"Really?"

"_No!_"

"Geez, just asking...Found one!" Sokka took out a paintbrush and a small bottle ink and began to write.

"Need meat. Gone fishing. Back in a few days. Sokka...and...Zuko," the Fire Prince read aloud. Suddenly his face lit up. "Hold on; let me write something." He took the brush out of Sokka's hand and started to write.

"One more thing. Aang, practice your firebending while I'm gone. Do twenty sets of fire fists and 10 hot squats every time you hear a badger frog croak. Zuko," Sokka read aloud this time. "Hmm, you must be serious with his training."

"I am; he's very good, more advanced than me when I was his age. He just needs more control."

"Yeah, he seems like the one with less control."

"It's not uncommon, really."

"How would you know that?"

"...I wasn't very good at self-control when I was younger."

"Huh...Well, I say we should leave about now."

"Okay. Follow me."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Zuko's P.O.V<em>**

In a few hours, we were successfully soaring in the sky. I was thankful that I could Firebend for now...Although, it did take out a lot of my energy.

"You okay?"

I look at the Water Tribe boy, who looked at me with concern. My breathing was shallow and my face dripped with sweat.

"Yeah...just fine," I lied. My face felt heated, like if I had a fever...maybe that was it. Sokka stared at me for a few seconds before he sighed.

"Whatever you say."

I sighed inwardly; Thank Agni that he doesn't pry like the little earthbender. I can feel my inner fire flickering like if it was going to suddenly die out. That's bad. Very bad.

Very distinctly, I remember my uncle telling me something like that...Oh...It was when we were on that raft at the North Pole.

_"You need to keep warm nephew or you'll catch your death." His face held concern as he wrapped his cloak around me._

_"You need it more than I-"_

_"No, I don't. Nephew, you plunged deep into the cold waters of the North Pole; You **do **need it more than I do."_

_I did not say a word as he continued to wrap his cloak around me. I sighed in relief, realizing that the cloak helped. I breathed a cloud of warm steam into my palms and rubbed them together._

_"Are you still cold, nephew?"_

_I did not respond; I resumed breathing into my palms until I felt two strong arms embrace me._

_"Wh-What are you doing?"_

_"I'm trying to restore some heat into your body; your inner fire burning out is on top of the list of our worries."_

_"Burning out?"_

_"Yes, it is possible that a firebender's inner fire can burn out. What happen afterwards is not good."_

He had told me that if a firebender loses his or her inner fire, there's a possibility that that person could...die.

"Are you okay?"

I'm brought out of my thoughts as I saw Sokka's hand reaching towards my forehead.

"I...told you, I'm...fine," I grumbled and crossed my arms stubbornly as I felt his cool palm on my forehead. His brows furrowed and he stared at me with a disapproved look.

"Fine, my ass; you're burning up," he told me. He forced me to sit down and shoved his pack into my arms. "There's a washcloth and a canteen of water in there; use them."

I sighed reluctantly and did was told.

"I can't believe you still came when you knew that you weren't feeling good," Sokka grumbled as I lowered the wet rag on my forehead, covering my eyes as well.

"I just wanted to help," I mumbled, feeling hurt. I don't to need to see his face to know that he's disappointed in me. I heard a low sigh.

"I know, I can tell," he said dryly, earning a wince from me. "Just...Just rest for a while. When your fever has gone down, I'll let you stand."

"Fine,"I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration.

This is gone be a _long _ride.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Sokka's P.O.V<em>**

"Fine," he had said before pinching the bridge of his nose. I shook my head, feeling a bit exasperated with the Fire Bender. His cheeks were flushed and his face dripped with sweat; how can he act like he's invincible or something? He's a human, not some machine.

I sighed. Maybe that's how his father expected him to be; a machine, no errors or problems. Tch, boy was he wrong.

Breaking the awkward silence, I said, "Pretty clouds." _'Pretty clouds? Good one, Sokka,__'_ I berated myself as I saw Zuko's eye peek out of the wet rag. He stared at the sky for awhile until he responded.

"Yeah...fluffy," he said softly. It's silent again...that is until I pursed my lips and started to whistle. "What?"

The whistling stops and I stared at Zuko, who stared at me through the wet rag's small opening.

"Hm? Oh, I didn't say anything..." I replied, earning a nod. "Y'know, a friend of mine actually designed these war balloons."

That should start a conversation.

"No kidding," he said, this time not looking at me.

"Yup. A balloon. But for war," I said obviously.

"There's one thing my Dad's good at, it's war," he said, sounding a bit bitter.

"Yeah, it seems to run in the family," I said before thinking. I winced once I realized what I had said.

"Not everyone in my family is like that," he said, lifting the rag so I can see his eyes.

"I know, I know, you've changed," I said quickly, hoping he wouldn't burn my face off.

"...I meant my uncle," Zuko said quietly. He sighed and put the rag back on his forehead, making sure to cover his eyes as well. "He was more of a Father to me and I really let him down."

His voice sounded sullen and his mouth pulled to a deep frown.

"I think your Uncle would be proud of you," I said slowly, trying to reassure him. "Leaving your home to help us, that's hard."

"It wasn't that hard," he said, his eye peeking out of the rag.

"Really?" I asked; I thought it would've been hard, especially for him. "You didn't leave behind anyone you cared about?"

He was completely silent before he said slowly, "Well...I did have a girlfriend...Mai."

My eyes widened and I suppressed my laughter while leaning forward. "That gloomy girl who sighs a lot?"

"Yeah..."he answered with a love-dazed grin that slowly turned into a guilty frown. "Everyone in the Fire Nation thinks I'm a traitor; I couldn't drag her into it."

That comment reminded me of Yue, making me sadly lean back against the basket of the War Balloon. "My first girlfriend turned into the moon."

He looked surprised lifting the rag from his face. He shared a look of sympathy before putting rag back on his face. "...That's rough buddy."

I nodded and sighed, "No use in dwelling in the past."

"Ditto," he agreed. I leaned forward and took off the rag, only to shortly lay my palm unto his forehead.

"Your fever has gone down a bit," I told him, earning a content sigh.

"Now can I get up?"

"Fine..."

"_Thank_ you."

Sigh; this is gonna be long~ ride.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Yayz! I finally rewrote my utterly fail of a story.<strong>

**Toph: Finally!**

**Me:(sweetly) Toph...stfu.**

**Toph: (glare****)**

**Me: (laughs nervously) R&R (runs screaming at the top of my lungs)**

**Toph: Yeah, you better run! (runs after me)**

**Bye-Ni~  
><strong>


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